硅材料的太赫兹波频域特性分析

对不同电阻率的N型硅材料(电阻率从5~100Ω.cm)在太赫兹波波段的折射率、消光系数和吸收系数等特性参数,利用返波振荡器(BWO)太赫兹波系统进行了测试、计算和分析,得到N型硅在0.23 THz到0.375 THz频段范围内的光学特性.表明在这一波段N型硅的太赫兹波吸收系数随着电阻率的增加而减小,吸收系数最小值可达到3.39×10-4cm-1.分析表明,它将是潜在的太赫兹波波导的最佳候选材料.     

用参量法通过LiNbO3晶体产生太赫兹的理论设计

按照参量振荡器的基本原理,从理论上设计了一个太赫兹参量振荡器。根据动量守恒、能量守恒条件以及相位匹配条件,应用铌酸锂(LiNbO3)晶体,给出了理论设计过程。画出了频率在太赫兹波段,波长与折射率的关系曲线,分析了太赫兹参量振荡器的非共线相位匹配条件,确定了晶体形状及其切割角、输出太赫兹波的可调谐范围,并画出了晶体为铌酸锂时相应的曲线,根据有效的输出功率,最后设计出最佳的太参量振荡器的结构。     

磁控溅射超薄金属膜在太赫兹波段的光学特性

采用THz时域光谱测试技术，对Fe扣Co的超薄金属膜在0.2～2，5THz波段的吸收特性、透射特性以及折射率进行了研究。在室温并去除水份影响的氮气环境中，获得了不同种类扣不同厚度的薄金属膜在太赫兹波段的时域谱．利用Origin7．0扣Matlab7，0软件处理得到这些金属薄膜对太赫兹波的透射率，吸收系数扣折射率．对比发现金属超薄膜在太赫兹波段的光学特性随薄膜厚度以及太赫兹波频率的变化有很大的改变，也就是具有明显的尺寸效应．同时根据所得到的折射率开口吸收系数还可以理论上计算出不同种类与厚度的超薄金属膜在太赫兹波段的复介电函数．     

膜厚对导电氧化锌宽带抗反射涂层的太赫兹传输影响

利用直流磁控溅射方法,在石英基底上制备了可用于太赫兹电磁波频率范围内的宽带抗反射涂层的掺铝氧化锌导电薄膜。在太赫兹时域光谱频率0.1~1.0THz范围内研究不同厚度的氧化锌薄膜的介电响应,得到了与频率相关的电导率、吸收和薄膜折射率,着重研究了膜厚对太赫兹波传输特性的调制作用。实验结果很好地符合了经典的Drude模型,表明可以通过控制氧化锌薄膜的厚度来改变太赫兹波的传输特性,并且导电氧化锌薄膜能够作为太赫兹频段范围的宽带抗反射涂层应用于衬底和光学器件上。     

太赫兹波段塑料光子晶体光纤的特性分析

本文利用有限元法对太赫兹波在塑料光子晶体光纤中的传输特性进行了模拟,分析了光纤结构与基模有效折射率、波导色散、基模有效面积的关系,给出了本文设计结构下,塑料光子晶体光纤的传输特性随空气孔径、孔间距等参数变化的规律。     

可编程THz-TDS锁相放大技术

太赫兹时域光谱技术(THz-TDS)其光导天线产生的信号与背景噪声相比极其微弱,需要采用锁相放大技术对信号进行放大处理。根据锁相放大的基本原理和太赫兹时域光谱系统的特点,设计出了基于 AD630的可编程THz-TDS锁相放大系统,该系统能够根据使用要求提供合适的中心斩波频率和带宽值。通过实验得到了由模拟开关控制的可编程带通滤波器在不同中心斩波频率处的输出值和带宽的关系曲线,并通过模拟实验验证了系统对微弱信号的探测能力。最后,在光学延迟线移动速度为1500μm/s,连续扫描的情况下,采集到的THz信号的信噪比在50 dB左右。结果表明,该系统具有中心斩波频率和带宽可调,锁相效果好,体积小,便于太赫兹仪器的集成化等优点。     

FeNHf软磁薄膜中磁各向异性对太赫兹波调控的研究

本文制备了具有磁各向异性的纳米FeNHf软磁薄膜,表征了FeNHf薄膜的微结构、磁性能、微波磁动力学行为和磁各向异性对太赫兹波传输特性的影响。FeNHf薄膜的难轴方向具有410的磁导率,易轴方向没有磁导率信号,磁各向异性场为2537.65 A/m。FeNHf薄膜在1.04 THz时出现了共振吸收峰,当调控磁化强度方向分别于太赫兹波磁场平行和垂直时,共振频率偏移0.03 THz,调谐率为3%。软磁薄膜在太赫兹波段的响应时间处于自旋进动的时间尺度的下限,调控软磁薄膜中磁各向异性场方向使得薄膜在太赫兹波传输方向上折射率发生变化,导致了FeNHf薄膜在太赫兹波段共振频率的改变。     

太赫兹成像技术在肿瘤检测中的应用

太赫兹(THz)波是频率位于0.1 THz^10 THz的电磁波。因其具有非电离性,以及可与多数生物分子产生共振响应等特性,在生物医学领域有着巨大应用潜力,尤其在肿瘤检测方面。太赫兹成像技术作为生物医学领域一种新的成像技术,吸引国内外多个研究小组对其开展深入研究。本文列举分析了多种太赫兹成像技术在肿瘤检测的应用,其中可分为太赫兹扫描成像、太赫兹层析成像、太赫兹全息成像以及太赫兹近场成像,介绍了这些成像方式的基本原理以及国内外研究现状,最后对太赫兹成像技术在生物领域的未来做出展望。     

太赫兹QCL技术研究进展

综述了太赫兹QCL(THzQCL)有源区结构设计与制备、波导结构设计和频率控制3方面的基本原理及研究进展.THzQCL有源区薄膜厚度、组分和掺杂浓度的精确控制是材料制备过程的关键.通过提高注入电流和器件温度的稳定性可以有效减小THzQCL线宽和提高频率稳定性.随着器件功率和频率特性的提升,THz QCL将在通讯、成像和谱分析等技术领域获得广泛的应用.     

THz扩展互作用振荡器的多段式折叠波导高频结构注波互作用分析

为了提高大赫兹扩展互作用振荡器(EIO)的输出功率,改进了两段式折叠波导慢波结构,并提出了三段式折叠波导新型慢波结构。分析了折叠波导的色散特性,通过进行三维粒子模拟,研究了单段式、两段式和三段式折叠波导的输出特性。单段式折叠波导EIO最大输出功率为46 W,改进后两段式EIO输出功率提升了84.8%到86 W,并比改进前提高了10.3%,三段式EIO输出功率比单段式提高了143.5%,达到112 W。采用多段式折叠波导作为EIO的慢波结构比单段式具有显著的优越性。     

Grating-assisted coupling of terahertz waves into a dielectric waveguide studied by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy

We report on the efficient coupling of terahertz (THz) waves into a dielectric waveguide by means of a diffraction grating engraved at the top of the waveguide. The waveguide is made of a 201-microm-thick high-resistivity silicon wafer. The transmission of the device, measured versus frequency by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy, shows usual m lines when a frequency component of the THz pulse spectrum satisfies the phase-matching condition and is coupled into the waveguide. The experimental data are well modeled with the differential electromagnetic method to compute the diffraction pattern of the grating device. The dispersion curve of the first four modes of propagation is determined from the frequency position of the m lines recorded for different angles of incidence of the THz beam. The waveguide exhibits a weak group velocity dispersion at high frequencies.     

Multi-channel terahertz wavelength division demultiplexer with defects-coupled photonic crystal waveguide

Abstract

Terahertz (THz) wavelength division demultiplexer based on a compact defects-coupled photonic crystal waveguide is proposed and demonstrated numerically. This device consists of an input waveguide that perpendicularly coupled with a series of defects cavities, each of which captures the resonance frequency from the input waveguide. Coupled-mode theory and finite element method are used to analyze the transmission properties of the structure. It is found that the transmission wavelength centered around 1 THz can be adjusted by changing the geometrical parameters of defects cavities, which equals to THz waves generated by optical methods such as difference frequency generation and optical rectification. Applications in this frequency range are urgently needed. Furthermore, the highest transmission efficiency of 0.94 can be achieved when a perfect wavelength-selective mirror is set in the output waveguide.     

Narrow bandpass tunable terahertz filter based on photonic crystal cavity

We have fabricated a very narrow bandpass tunable terahertz (THz) filter based on a one-dimensional photonic crystal cavity. Since the filter consists of silicon wafers and air spacers, it has a very high quality factor of about 1500. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the passband is only about 200 MHz, and the peak transmission is higher than -4 dB. Besides, the central frequency can be tuned rapidly over the entire bandgap with the length of cavity adjusted by a motorized linear stage. Further analytical calculations indicate that a high-Q tunable filter with both high peak transmission and wide tunable range is possible if thinner silicon layers are used.     

CMOS compatible on-chip telecom-band to mid-infrared supercontinuum generation in dispersion-engineered reverse strip/slot hybrid Si3N4 waveguide

A silicon nitride (Si₃N₄)-based reverse strip/slot hybrid waveguide with single vertical silica slot is proposed to acquire extremely low and flat chromatic dispersion profile. This is achieved by design and optimization of the geometrical structural parameters of the reverse hybrid waveguide. The flat dispersion varying between ±10 ps/(nm·km) is obtained over 610 nm bandwidth. Both the effective area and nonlinear coefficient of the waveguide across the entire spectral range of interest are investigated. This led to design of an on-chip supercontinuum (SC) source with ?30 dB bandwidth of 2996 nm covering from 1.209 to 4.205 μm. Furthermore, we discuss the output signal spectral and temporal characteristic as a function of the pump power. Our waveguide design offers a CMOS compatible, low-cost/high yield (no photolithography or lift-off processes are necessary) on-chip SC source for near- and mid-infrared nonlinear applications.     

Terahertz response of ferroelectric nanofibers

Far-infrared optical and dielectric properties of ferroelectric SrTiO3 and BaTiO3 nanofibers, prepared by hydrothermal syntheses, were studied using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. The power absorption, refractive index, and complex dielectric function were characterized in the frequency range from 0.2 to 1.0 THz. The measured results are well reproduced by theoretical fittings based on the dielectric models and the effective medium model. The study reveals that the low-frequency dielectric properties of the ferroelectric SrTiO3 nanofibers are associated with the lowest transverse optical (TO) soft mode TO1 at 2.70 THz (90.0 cm(-1)), and that of the ferroelectric BaTiO3 nanofibers are related to the lowest pair of transverse optical (TO) and longitudinal optical (LO) modes near 5.35 THz, which are both consistent with their bulk single-crystal and thin-film counterparts.     

Output power enhancement of a palmtop terahertz-wave parametric generator

Broadband terahertz (THz) waves were generated by optical parametric processes based on laser light scattering from the polariton mode of a nonlinear crystal. By using the parametric oscillation of a MgO-doped LiNbO3 crystal pumped by a nanosecond Q-switched Nd:YAG laser, we have realized a broadband, high-energy and compact THz-wave source. We report the development of a THz-wave parametric generator (TPG) using a small pump source with a short pulse width and a top-hat beam profile. These characteristics of the pump beam permit high-intensity pumping especially close to the output surface of the THz wave without thermal damage to the crystal surface. We also calculated the outcoupled THz wave for beams with two different intensity profiles: a top-hat beam (in this experiment) and a Gaussian beam (previously reported). The result shows the mechanism of the output energy and/or power enhancement.     

Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy studies of the optical constants of the nematic liquid crystal 5CB

The optical constants of a nematic liquid crystal, 4'-n-pentyl-4-cyanobiphenyl (5CB), in the frequency range 0.3-1.4 THz were determined by terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy. The real parts of the extraordinary refractive index n(e) and the ordinary refractive index n(o) of 5CB varied from 1.74 to 2.04 and from 1.59 to 1.83, respectively. Liquid-crystal 5CB exhibits a relatively small absorption loss in this frequency range. The birefringence of 5CB was found to be as large as 0.21. The experimental results indicate that liquid crystal 5CB is potentially useful for device applications in the THz frequency range.     

Terahertz pulsed spectroscopy of human Basal cell carcinoma

Good contrast is seen between normal tissue and regions of tumor in terahertz pulsed imaging of basal cell carcinoma (BCC). To date, the source of contrast at terahertz frequencies is not well understood. In this paper we present results of a spectroscopy study comparing the terahertz properties (absorption coefficient and refractive index) of excised normal human skin and BCC. Both the absorption coefficient and refractive index were higher for skin that contained BCC. The difference was statistically significant over the range 0.2 to 2.0 THz (6.6 cm(-1) to 66.6 cm(-1)) for absorption coefficient and 0.25 to 0.90 THz (8.3 cm(-1) to 30 cm(-1)) for refractive index. The maximum difference for absorption was at 0.5 THz(16.7 cm(-1)). These changes are consistent with higher water content. These results account for the contrast seen in terahertz images of BCC and explain why parameters relating to the reflected terahertz pulse provide information about the lateral spread of the tumor. Knowing the properties of the tissue over the terahertz frequency range will enable the use of mathematical models to improve understanding of the terahertz response of normal and diseased tissue.     

Terahertz all-optical modulation in a silicon-polymer hybrid system

Although gigahertz-scale free-carrier modulators have been demonstrated in silicon, intensity modulators operating at terahertz speeds have not been reported because of silicon's weak ultrafast nonlinearity. We have demonstrated intensity modulation of light with light in a silicon-polymer waveguide device, based on the all-optical Kerr effect-the ultrafast effect used in four-wave mixing. Direct measurements of time-domain intensity modulation are made at speeds of 10 GHz. We showed experimentally that the mechanism of this modulation is ultrafast through spectral measurements, and that intensity modulation at frequencies in excess of 1 THz can be obtained. By integrating optical polymers through evanescent coupling to silicon waveguides, we greatly increase the effective nonlinearity of the waveguide, allowing operation at continuous-wave power levels compatible with telecommunication systems. These devices are a first step in the development of large-scale integrated ultrafast optical logic in silicon, and are two orders of magnitude faster than previously reported silicon devices.